Jesus and government

January 3, 2008(excerpts from an email)A short time ago I listened with interest to your interview with Anti-war radio. I was impressed with both what you said and the spirit in which you said it.

In your interview you noted that you have missed the sayings of Jesus regarding the work of the government. You seemed to invite anyone who might know of such to call them to your attention. That is the purpose of this email. Being exposed to them will require another radical change in perspective, however. Let me start by reminding you of what the Scriptures say regarding "the government". The phrase, to the best of my knowledge, appears only once in the Scriptures. You know it, but you, like most contemporary Christians, may have difficulty recalling it, until I start to quote it for you. "...the government shall be upon His shoulder..."

You are certainly aware that the New Testament has a lot to say about the kingdom. Kingdoms don't exist without kings. The function of a king is to govern. A kingdom is a government. For the followers of Jesus, the kingdom is the government. Everything Jesus taught His followers has to do with their government, their king. It is true that most men choose other kings, other governments. Jesus offered them a better alternative. Therein lies both the attraction and the offense of the good news, the gospel.